First Impressions – Tari Tari


A little late, but PA Works is always worth the time!~

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Hey everyone! Apologies for the delayed post, summertime has finally got me, heh. So Tari Tari, one of the first airing shows of the Summer season, let’s get to it!~

By the way, this post looks a bit different then the usual format. Jrow and I have been working on improving the post style and any community feedback would be much appreciated!

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Is the spring season really over? Mysterious Girlfriend X was bringing up the rear when it came to finales that season wasn’t it? Anyway, I’m no fan of PA Works, and I did not enjoy Hanasaku Iroha. Well, I probably liked it better than most, but I didn’t think it was very good. I found charm in its mediocrity, and wow, does PA Works know how to make a show look pretty. If I can turn my brain off and get more of that, I’d be happy.
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 Meet the cast of PA Work’s latest addition to their growing list of beautiful looking series.

Tari Tari Opening – “Dreamer” by AiRI

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“I’ve seen 3 shows by them (P.A. Works), and all of them started with promise but ended up mediocre to terrible

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Tari Tari has been called Hanasaku Iroha 2 many times by many people, and I can’t say that it’s unjustified. The character designs are similar beyond what you’d expect just from having the same designer – look at the characters in We Still Don’t Know the Name of the Flower We Saw that Day vs. Waiting in the Summer: same character designer for both, but each show with its own style. In Tari Tari, the school uniform has the same color palette, everyone has the same shiny cheeks going on, and Wakana Sakai is a dead ringer for Minko. Main character Konatsu might not look like a specific character from Hanasaku Iroha, but she does like the heroine from another PA Works show: Maria from Canaan. But after watching the first episode, I think the similarities between the shows may only be skin deep.

With Konatsu’s conflict with her club advisor and branching out to form her own club, Tari Tari seems to be positioning itself as a coming of age story about a teenage girl. Yeah, that’s Hanasaku Iroha. But coming-of-age is a very broad category, so if the shows just have that and the art style in common, that’s actually not that much. That show specifically dealt with family issues, parental abandonment, and new vs. traditional, and I don’t see that being an area of focus for Tari Tari. Rather, it’s shaping up to be a forward looking story about Konatsu coming into her own as a woman in her final year of high school (compared to Ohana who was just 16 and thus much more dependent on her family and other adults). Her starting and maintaining an all new club will show the difficulties of doing something ambitious, and I’m sure we’ll all learn a heartwarming lesson about the power of friendship. Even though Minko and Nako were main characters and Ohana’s peers in Hanasaku Iroha, the friendship between them wasn’t a theme that was explored much. I’m betting the focus of this show will be the relationships Konatsu forms with her peers. Who else thinks Wakana will come around to and be very friendly with Konatsu by the end?

One part that especially gives me hope is how much screen time the transfer student Wien got. This doesn’t look to be an ensemble cast show, so Wien’s story will have to touch Konatsu’s at some point. And that obviously points to love interest. I really liked Ko when he was around in Hanasaku Iroha, and I was disappointed that the romantic subplot did not play out fully in that show. But hey, that show was titled “First Steps of Blooming Flowers,” and, again, Konatsu is older than Ohana, so she’s at a stage in her growth where romance makes sense. In fact, she’s at the age where it should be a major theme in the show. Coming of age romance. I’ve seen it lead to great things.

That said, let’s keep in mind that this is PA Works. I’ve seen 3 shows by them, and all of them started with promise but ended up mediocre to terrible (though each also managed to end very well). When it comes to that studio, I watch and wait for the episode when everything starts going to shit. I doubt Tari Tari will buck this trend, but, just like their other shows, I see a ton of potential one episode in.

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“In that final moment of the episode when they all came together from the sound of Konatsu’s voice, it hit me how special this show really is.”

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I’ve pushed away my inner PA Works-fanboy to write this post, so I hope that my obvious bias won’t show too much. (Spoiler: it will.) Tari Tari is one of only three shows I’ve decided to watch this season, and it’s incredible how fast I was captivated by its youthful and diverse characters as well as the absolutely beautiful artwork. (I suppose that last point is getting more and more common for PA Works, huh?) I’m personally one of those people who enjoys spending time watching simple, lighthearted stories like Tari Tari’s play out, even if the pacing is slow or the developments predictable. There’s something about the subtlety of a series like this (and HanaIro for instance) that make it so easy to relate to the characters and their own lives, which I’m assuming my age plays a large part in. But enough about me!

Tari Tari’s premiere was far from exciting or “original”, and I’m sure that it will turn a lot of people off, but there lies potential within the cast of teenagers to turn this coming-of-age story into something way more entertaining then you might first assume, without the need for over-dramatic plot twists and the like. That’s what I love about character driven narratives like Tari Tari, it’s all about these individuals interacting with each other, coming into their own through emotional experiences, and in the end learning a lot about themselves. Before he left the aniblog world, TRazor wrote an awesome article on anime leaving a void, and though it might be too early to call, I get the feeling Tari Tari (just like HanaIro was for me) will leave one of the voids. One important difference I noticed between Tari Tari and HanaIro is the balance between adults and teenagers. HanaIro’s cast was very diverse when it came to the character’s ages and it added a very interesting dynamic to the show, with the adults and teenagers working in tandem. Tari Tari on the other hand doesn’t seem nearly as diverse age wise, but what I love is how each of the characters are truly “individuals” when it comes to their lives, hobbies, and interests. These aren’t one sided archetypes who are defined by a single activity or stereotype. In that final moment of the episode when they all came together from the sound of Konatsu’s voice, it hit me how special this show really is.

If you hadn’t guessed already, my expectations for Tari Tari to succeed are very high. The current plotline regarding the new choir club is something that has potential to become something amazing, and the relationship between Wien and Wakana is bringing back tons of good memories of Ohana and Ko. (Oh, and did you hear Konatsu’s singing? Beautiful! And don’t even get me started on that True Tears song from the choir.) Here’s to hoping lvlln is wrong and Tari Tari does buck the trend! (Okay, maybe I’m being a bit too optimistic here, heh.)

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PREVIEW

Episode 2 and they’ve already gotten the limelight!?

About

We live, laugh, enjoy and strictly believe on "more the merrier". When together, we usually come up with very chatty, conversation-based episodics and interesting posts.
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41 Responses to “First Impressions – Tari Tari”

  1. Namika says:

    I liked it! It’s not so special and exciting, but I think it’ll turn out to be a great feel-good show. O’tanoshimi desu! o(^O^)o

    • Namika says:

      Oh, and about the new format, it’s nice. I liked how you put your greetings side to side (well, not quite but you get me) . Though something simpler would be great too, I think.

      Now, I’m waiting for my first comment cookie :3

      • Hawthorne says:

        Thanks for the feedback Namika! Keeping it simple was a problem I kept running into while editing. Is there a specific part you think would be better with the standard style?

        *cookies for you* XD

        • Namika says:

          Hmmmm. I think, there are a lot of ‘layers’ on the post page…. well, that involves the design of the blog itself, but still. Try out a simpler, softer design without so many image layers, like the background, plus the post background color, plus now those balloonswell, kinda ^^” on top of that. I think, that would be better. Well, it’s just my opinion though 🙂

          *chums down the cookies* omnomnom ^_^

          • Hawthorne says:

            With the layers what I was attempting to do was make it easier to read since it separated lvlln’s thoughts from my thoughts (and I noticed a lot of complaints in the ABT comments about the posts being hard to read or whatever.) I see now that it was probably a bit too much.

            I’ll be going back to the simple style however! This format is very bad for RSS/phones. XD

            • Namika says:

              Separating thoughts of different writers definitely is a good idea. If you find the right direction, it’ll look fantastic! So, you’ll kill two birds with one stone :3 it’ll be easier to read and you’ll be able to make it in a better format for phones and rss ^^ hope I was helpful ))

    • Hawthorne says:

      I get that same feeling! Feel-good shows are the best, especially in the summer. ´▽`

  2. Highway says:

    I really enjoyed the first show, and liked the way the story flowed especially during the early introductions, from showing each character mostly from their intersection from a previous character to their intersection with the next character, then switching to the new one. I also liked how they worked the exposition in through the entire episode, and none of it in a big chunk, but small bits mostly relating to what the characters were talking about otherwise.

    • Hawthorne says:

      I get the impression the characters will be the highlight of Tari Tari! With introductions out of the way, now we can get into the heart of who each of them are, I hope.

  3. sharklasers says:

    i don’t like the new format, only because it doesn’t show up correctly in my phone’s rss reader. I read all my articles on it and it shows up as black font on black background and makes me go to the real site to read it which can be a pain on a phone.
    it looks good on the main site though. i hope you can fix it so that it looks good on the rss feed too

    • Hawthorne says:

      I’ll definitely go back to the original format then, I’d hate to punish the eyes of RSS readers and phone readers. (I noticed the issue myself yesterday reading from my iPod) Thanks for the feedback, those were the kind of problems I was hoping readers could point out! ;D

      Hm, I’ll have to find a way to make it appear differently on RSS/phones if I want to use it again, I’m not sure if that’ll be possible though.

  4. South says:

    While it has a lot of Hanasaku vibes I was reminded more of True Tears, somehow. Maybe because Hanasaku was too much about Ohana, while True Tears dealt with the guy, Noe and Hiromi a lot rather than just Noe.

    I also think Konatsu is not the sole main character, but Wakana is as well. Somehow I thought she had more character sceentime than Konatsu or was shown equally, so I was a bit surprised when I read Konatsu was the sole main and blah, I don’t really know why I’m bugged by this at all. But that’s why I didn’t get thaaat much HI vibes anyway.

    I put my money for Wien x Wakana. Too early, I know. And I wonder who will end up in a triangle. It’s safe to say at least 1 of the guys and 1 of the girls won’t have any trouble with that…I kinda hope it’s the other guy-Konatsu-her friend. Another Hiromi vs. Noe or Ohana vs. Minko would make me too anxious. X3 But this is just thinking too far, they haven’t even say hi to each other, just wishful thinking. 😛

    • Hawthorne says:

      I’ve always felt that if you can’t point out a single “main” character then they’re doing an ensemble cast the right way! (It does seem though that Wakana will get the most focus, if the scene before the opening is any indication.)

      Love triangle … IMMINENT! With three girls and two guys (who I’m assuming are all heterosexual) there’s bound to be some type of triangle, right? It probably is too early to call where the relationships will head, but wishful thinking makes it all the more fun. ;D

  5. Foshizzel says:

    Interesting first episode and headphone chick has me wanting more! And yeah I have seen everyone say this is just Hanasaku Iroha part two basically but ah well I don’t mind that to much and Lvlln is right most of the stuff by PA Works is a success or a failure.

    • Hawthorne says:

      HanaIro part 2 without Ohana and Minko sounds a little boring. ;_; Let’s call it … HanaIro: A Side Story. 😀 Here’s to hoping it’s a success!

  6. akagami says:

    This season is killing me, too many shows I’m going to watch and only dropped two from my list so far… Almost all of the first episodes of my watchlist have been entertaining.

    Sawa’s outfit is so fashionable and cute ^^

    • Hawthorne says:

      I’m trying to avoid those stressful feelings by only watching a few shows this season. XD Good luck though, hopefully it’ll be worth it in the end!~

      I can’t wait to see more Sawa outfits, she has good taste in clothing. ´▽`

  7. JPNIgor says:

    It’s… It’s… Beautiful *-*

    Well, up until this year I couldn’t tell what studios made this or that anime, but, wow! P.A. Works is really awesome.

    I was expecting a lot of Tari Tari, since I’m a fan of slice of life comedies and because P.A. Works was working on it, and I really enjoyed watching Hanasaku Iroha. What came in Tari Tari is a lot better than I expected, actually. At least in this first episode.

    The animation is awesome. I like the style of the anime of P.A. Works. But man, you’re right… It’s absurdly similar to Hanasaku Iroha ._. About the story, before watching the episode I was thinking that Tari Tari would be a clubroom slice of life, much like K-ON. I really liked the main character and I can see a lot of development on the others, specially the one that have conflicts with singing for some mysterious reason.

    • Hawthorne says:

      Right? PA Work’s shows are so beautiful, I have to stop myself from taking too many screenshots. ´▽` Over time you can see a lot of similarities between a production companies shows, for me the most noticeable ones tend to be PA Works, Shaft, and KyoAni.

      It still might turn into something similar once the new club is formed by Konatsu, but I hope it won’t diverge too much from the current style because like you said it’s a lot better than expected!

      • JPNIgor says:

        Talking about KyoAni… Won’t you make the review of Kokoro Connect? I want to talk sooo much about the similarities between it and K-ON… Even though it’s studio is Silver Link…

        • Hawthorne says:

          First impressions for Kokoro Connect should be up soon. ;D (I’m not the one writing it though, so I can’t say for sure when the exact time will be!)

  8. skylion says:

    I can see where the Hanasaku comparisons are coming from, and they can be justified to a limited extent.

    At it’s heart, thematically speaking, Hanasaku Iroha was about daughter, mother, and grandmother recognized the complete relationships they have, and reconciling those things together.

    Tari Tari hasn’t shown us it’s heart yet, but I can sense a group of friend supporting a friends dream, and maybe finding their own along the way.

    • Hawthorne says:

      That was the impression I got as well skylion. Friendship seems like it’ll be the biggest theme of the show. (Now I also really miss the Ohana, Satsuki, Sui relationship from HanaIro. ><)

  9. Bob from Accounting says:

    This could be nice, or it could just be really boring. From the first episode it still looks like it could go either way. Let’s find out, I guess.

  10. Sushi GoKart says:

    I’ve said this before… I just want this to be an Anime version of Glee!

  11. Moni Chan says:

    This show looks promising. Let’s see what awaits us in the next episode

    • Hawthorne says:

      Yes, very promising!~ Episode 2 has just been subbed, so I’m looking forward to checking it out.

  12. Jrow says:

    lvlln writes: “Anyway, I’m no fan of PA Works, and I did not enjoy Hanasaku Iroha. Well, I probably liked it better than most…”

    And I go: “What The Fuck?”

    • D-LaN says:

      Different taste bro. And he your team-mate…..

      • Jrow says:

        I know, Strokes & Folks, and normally I wouldn’t be that way in a comment. I’m just gonna apologize now or else I’ll feel worse later on over nothing really.

  13. Starburst says:

    I’m glad you guys caught the age difference between Tari Tari and HanaIro. I couldn’t help but make comparisons between the two but Tari Tari’s set up doesn’t feel like that of HanaIro. The characters have their own issues to bring to the table this time, so they’ll be developed in a different way. Plus it’s going to be interesting to see the show use music (especially choir) as a vice to unite people in a friendship.
    As you two have said, the first episode set up all the flow, feel and the characters quite well. Animation is superb, music is nice too.
    One key thing to note about Tari Tari is that it’s going to be one-cour instead of two, unlike HanaIro, thus they hopefully will not room to make boring or slow episodes, but they could rush them.
    By the way lvlln: Angel Beats wasn’t the best show ever but it wasn’t terrible! It was just a bit rushed at the end, but the cast in that show was comedic and entertaining! Gotta give P.A. Works some credit for at least attempting to pack comedy, afterlife science, sci-fi and romance into a mere thirteen episodes!

    • Hawthorne says:

      With so many similarities in appearance it’s impossible not to! XD But I like that lvlln pointed out the differences are only skin deep, because in a lot of ways it also sets itself apart. (Like you pointed out, the different personal issues and themes.)

      Dreading the one cour! You’re right though, HanaIro had a few really pointless episodes that weren’t that entertaining, 13 should hopefully be enough!~

      • Highway says:

        If the second episode is evidence of how they’re going to blow through storylines, one cour is probably going to be enough. Of course, I think they just got that out of the way fast to jettison all the people they had to gather up for the choir. Hopefully now it gets to the rest of the main cast.

        I’m also watching through HanaIro right now, and not having much trouble keeping them apart, honestly. I have more trouble telling Wakana and Sawa apart.

        Oh, and I’ve listened to that ED song from episode 2 like 10 times…

  14. PocariSweat says:

    So here we come again PA Works. 2nd episode has aired, and the 3rd will be early next week. Question is, will it deviate to the dumpster like Hanasaku Iroha episode 3 did (that terrible “bondage” ep/Jiromaru faking suicide) or will you return to your glory that True Tears was (which btw I think is one of the best modern romance/dramas made. Screw Key, screw ef, screw Toradora, TT in late 2007 and early 2008 was where it was at).

    Only time will tell, but I’m more optimistic this time. Why? No Mari Okada. She has been an abomination lately destroying franchises like Kenshin and Lupin, whilst writing trainwreck series like Black Rock Shooter and Aquarion EVOL. And the weird as hell idol show that is AKB0048. Some people may have loved Anohana, but I did not as it was just another bawwfest trying to hard to make me cry. (Re)learn some subtlety dammit, like you did in True Tears, or even about 1.5 years ago like you did in Wandering Son.

  15. D-LaN says:

    Just watched the show, and this sounds promising. (Will this be anime Glee?)

    Great artworks as PA Works anime.
    And I like the way orange (?) hair unite the main cast at the end.

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